Trickster Grenade
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: Jacen's been clean for six months. Han and Leia are finally getting their life as a couple back. They're in for a shock. Chapter 5 now up. It's going to be a really crazy week, I'll update as soon as I can!
1. Chapter 1

TRICKSTER GRENADE

Chapter 1

Han and Leia were in their bedroom. The kids had finally gone to bed and they could relax for a little while. Having three teenagers and a five year old made this challenging. They snatched whatever moments they could.

"Where did I get the delusion that if I took a leave of absence, I'd have time to kick back?" Leia asked, yawning.

"Nature does abhor a vacuum," Han said, yawning as well. Dressed only in sleep pants, he laid down next to his wife and leaned over to take her in his arms. She was in one of his T shirts that she'd absconded with, one that read, 'I see the assassins have failed. Again.' It was old and soft and comfy and no matter how many times it was laundered, carried the lingering clean scent of her beloved husband.

"Some vacuum. I used to think, while the three older kids were small, that we'd have more spare time. What was I thinking?" Leia said, rolling her eyes.

"How about we don't think about anything right now?" Han asked in a soft, seductive tone. "Except maybe getting naked."

"I can do naked," Leia said, and began to slip the waistband of Han's sleep pants down and Han begin working his hands under her shirt.

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"I've got a run to make to the Outer Rim coming up," Han informed Leia the following evening. "Next week."

"How long?" Leia asked him. She was currently working along a holoshow that taught cooking. She'd been working diligently at it since going on leave, and her efforts were paying off; no one claimed that she'd poisoned them anymore (except Anakin, who still ate little beyond pasta and cheese).

"Two weeks." Han reached into the chiller for an ale and popped it open. "Leaving in three days."

"Well, I'll just have to content myself with my vibrator," Leia said, swatting him lightly on the butt. Her former assistant and now good friend Najia had given her one as a gag gift for her last birthday.

"You mean you can't just think of me and get off?" Han teased.

"You do think highly of yourself, don't you, Flyboy?" Leia said, laughing. "I need to get Jarik. Want to come along?"

"Only if I can drive."

"What's wrong with my driving?"

"Nothing, except that you seem to be oblivious to whole idea of brakes." Leia was what she called an 'aggressive' driver. Han termed it 'suicidal brunette.' Leia was more amused than anything at his reluctance to let her drive. She was excellent at piloting the _Falcon_, but that she did only rarely and never with a traffic jam.

"Who needs brakes. If you wanna drive, Flyboy, go for it." She laughed.

Who'd have thought I'd be the conservative driver in the family, Han muttered to himself.

They were about to leave when Jacen arrived home. Jaina still attended Praxium but after a disastrous stay at Yavin six months earlier, both decided it would be best if Jacen wasn't involved for now. It seemed to be working; he was doing, to the minds of his parents, so much better. He was getting better grades at school and the medication he was taking for depression seemed to be working.

He missed Tenel Ka, that much they knew. She was still at Praxium but things had improved between her and her mother, and she was spending some of her time on Dathomir. Jacen and she communicated regularly; their comm bill was evidence of it. But Leia and Han liked the young girl and she seemed to be good for Jacen. He spent most of his time at home. Making friends had never been easy for him. But he and Jaina were friendlier with each other now, and he and Anakin had no more than the average number of arguments to be had between two teenaged brothers.

"I gotta do my homework. Actually," and he squirmed a bit uneasily, but not so much that it was noticeable, "I have some new friends at school and I wanna get together with 'em later. If that's okay." He saw the hesitation between Han and Leia. "No, they're not into drugs, okay?"

"I'd feel better if I met 'em first," Han told his eldest son. "Leia?"

"I'll give you an answer when I get home," Leia said to her son. "We're going to be late, Han."

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Jacen comm'd Ryker, one of the friends he wanted to get together with.

"So whassup?" Ryker asked him.

"I'll be there."

"Mom and Dad still treating you like a little kid?"

"No, they're cool." Jacen knew well that they weren't exactly on board with the idea, but he was going, anyway. He'd been staying home and not having fun for long enough. Six months he'd been keeping his nose clean, literally. Tomorrow wasn't a school day. It was time.

And he was craving. Oh, was he ever.

He had to admit that it hadn't been all bad. He and his father were composing music and he was getting more proficient. It had made them closer. The only problem was that while Dad may have been a little more attentive to him, his shipping business was thriving, and he was often gone for as long as two weeks at a time.

On the downside, Dad would be far less understanding if he screwed up again. Dad was patient and forgiving - to a point. Jacen was pretty sure that point had been reached. As for Mom, she was far more lethal - it took a great deal to piss her off, but once pissed off, she had a habit of staying that way. Nobody could do grudge like Leia Organa Solo. Her kids were well aware of that.

But it was lonely, too. He talked to Tenel Ka regularly, but she was immersed in her Jedi training.

He really wished he could enjoy it the way she did. And an unfortunate byproduct was that he resented her a little for it.

He knew he shouldn't do it.

But once would be okay. He didn't have to get hooked again. Just this once. He needed it. No one had a clue how difficult it was for him to go day to day.

His parents never had to find out. And they never would.

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"Hey dude!" Jacen said, grabbing Jarik by his feet and swung him. Jarik laughed hysterically at this.

Jacen was nearly as tall as Han now. He'd filled back out after breaking his addiction but had ceased to have the slight chubbiness that had been the hallmark of his young years.

"Can I go sleep at Squirrely's tonight?" Jacen asked his parents. Squirilino aka Squirrely's family had moved into the complex over the summer. His father was the minister of the interior on Coruscant and his mother an attache to the consulate. Leia knew them from work; they were good people and they'd chat once in a while.

"Do his parents know about this?" Leia asked him.

"I dunno!" Jarik continued to screech with laughter as Jacen carried him on his shoulders.

Just then Leia's comm went off. It was Deirdru, Squirrely's mother.

"Would it be all right if Jacen came to spend the night?" she asked Leia.

"You are welcome to him for as long as you want," Leia told her.

"Oh, that's great, because we're going to the Raging Rapids waterpark tomorrow." Once winter was over, things became warm on Coruscant in a hurry, and this spring was no exception.

"I'll give him some credits."

"No need. We get a steep discount, remember?"

"Sorry. My brain is taking this leave of absence thing a little more seriously than is probably healthy," Leia said.

"Bring his swimwear and we'll see him around 1800? He can eat dinner with us." Squirrely was their only child, and they took Jarik on outings frequently. The two boys had great fun and made plenty of noise, and Leia was more than happy to let someone else pick up the volume.

"Thanks," Leia told her, smiling.

"We're down one kid," Han commented, reaching for an ale. "That leaves three to go."

"Well, I'm sure Anakin will be busy, just because he's Anakin," Leia said. Anakin had no enemies or strangers in his life, only friends he hadn't met yet.

Anakin burst into the apartment. "Hey, parents, I'm heading off to the 53rd floor!" He announced breathlessly.

"Which friend's on the 53rd floor again?" Han asked.

"Oh, just Crix, Fang, Jesima, and Lowrie," Anakin said. "But the 17th has a couple people coming up, too."

"And whose parents are going to suffer through this?" Leia demanded.

Anakin stopped for a moment, his brow wrinkled in concentration. He looked like Leia when he did it.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure they'll be around!"

"We'll wait for CoroSec to get back to us," Han remarked dryly. 

"Thanks!" Anakin headed out the door with his normal alacrity.

"Never knew a kid that had that many friends and never left the building," Han muttered.

"Oh, he knows plenty of them who live elsewhere," Leia assured him. "Besides, the Drednoughts know what to do if they get crazy."

Jaina arrived home from Praxium, her long hair slick with sweat, her uniform reeking. "I gotta take a shower!"

"And hello to you, too, Ms. Solo," Han said. "Good thing everyone else is clean, or we'd all be taking a cold one."

"And when was the last time you needed a cold shower?" Leia whispered teasingly.

"The last time I was on a delivery that lasted three days. Oh, wait, that was my last job." He kissed his wife and flashed her a devilish grin.

"So Dad? Mom? Can I go?" Jacen was taking advantage of whatever moment his parents were sharing and he was quite certain he didn't want to know the details.

The two looked at each other. They really needed a night away from the kids. Most of the time, at least one of them had to be home with Jacen.

"It's been six months," Leia said quietly. "Maybe it's time."

"Yeah, okay, kiddo," Han told him. "But no weirdness."

"There's not gonna be any weirdness!" Jacen sounded defensive. "Gods, I just wanna get outta the house for a change, okay? I've been stuck in here for six months! I've done everything you asked me!"

"Whoa, Jacen! We said yes!" Han reminded him.

"Thanks." He smiled at them. "Don't worry, you won't get a comm from CoruSec."

"Good plan," Han said. "That just leaves us Jaina to get rid of."

"No challenge there," Leia commented. Her sixteen year old daughter was barely home; she and Han referred to her being at home as 'Jaina sightings.' As in, she'd fly in and jet out at maximum speed.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Leia whispered wickedly into Han's ear.

"Same thing we do every night without children around," he whispered back.

"Try to take over the galaxy?" she teased back.

"Oh, there's plenty to be taken over." He hugged her.

"Guys, get a room," Jacen grumbled. "I'm out."

"Be home by 0030," Han informed him."

"I will, I will!"

Once in the hallway, Jacen heaved a giant sigh of relief.

Just this once, he told himself. Just this once. And then never again.

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	2. Chapter 2

TRICKSTER GRENADE

Chapter 2

"You got plans for tonight?" Han asked Jaina, who had come out of the shower, her long chestnut hair wrapped in a towel, the rest of her in a bathrobe.

"Why? Are you in a hurry to get rid of me? And where's Jacen?"

"He's meeting up with some friends," Han said simply.

"Who?" Her voice became suspicious.

"He's meeting some friends from school."

"Where?"

"He's getting together with..." Han grabbed the flimsi, "Bix Varnel - "

Jaina rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Bix is a total loser."

"Jaina, to say you're critical of people is a lot like saying your father is a an excellent pilot," Leia said sharply. "He's done everything we've asked. And he's been nowhere but school for six months. Believe it or not, your parents need a break once in a while."

"Well, don't stop on my account," Jaina snapped at her. "I'm gonna have dinner with my girls and then see a holoflick."

"Which one?" Han asked.

"Whichever one we can finally agree on."

"That could take all night," Han said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, and it usually does," Jaina theatrically sighed. "Well, don't let me get in the way of your plans."

"Believe me, little princess, we certainly won't, provided you leave soon," Han said to her.

"Okay, okay!" She stomped back to her room to prepare to get ready. Jaina took forever in the shower, but the rest of the ritual rarely took more than an hour.

"I suppose we could eat right now," Leia said, winking at Han.

"Well, if we're going to do what I think we are, we need our strength."

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It was a quarter to midnight when Han and Leia were finally physically spent. Han had his arm around her as she lay on his chest, listening to what had been the rapid beat of his heart slowing to a calm and peaceful rhythm. Han kissed the top of her head.

"I feel like it's been forever since we've been without a kid in the house," Leia told him.

"Tell me about it," Han said softly.

Just then Leia's comm went off.

"Jacen. Saying he's leaving and should be home in 15 minutes," Leia said.

"I told him he had to be in by 0030," Han said. "Maybe we're finally gonna get a break." Han's comm then went off. He groaned as he picked it up. "Jaina. They're just going to the holofilms right now and she'll be home by 0200. What the hell do four girls do that they can't get to a holoflick till nearly midnight?"

"Drink kaf beverages and talk about boys," Leia responded. Han groaned, and Leia laughed gently. "You asked, Flyboy."

Leia heard the door from the hallway to the living room open. "Sounds like Anakin's back."

"Yeah, wonder how much he lost tonight," Han muttered. "Next thing I know, he'll mortgage the apartment to the hilt." Anakin's social whirl revolved around, among other things, sabacc.

"He usually wins," Leia pointed out. "Something about an expert teaching him all his tricks."

Han allowed himself to grin. "If the kid wants to play cards, he needs to do it right."

Anakin knocked on the door; Leia had had the good sense to lock it. "Hey Mom, Dad, I won 150 credits!" He shouted through the door.

"Congratulations. Now leave your mother and I alone," Han called back. They both chuckled. Anakin would go and watch holovision for a while; he loved cheesy films that featured large, hungry, angry mutant creatures (and young scantily clad women). He would head for the kitchen and demolish whatever Jacen hadn't devoured. Keeping food in the house with two teenaged sons was proving to be both a major challenge, not to mention a huge expense.

A short time later, they heard the front door open again, and heard Jacen greet his younger brother and indicated that he was starving.

"Our kids are deficient in a certain concept known as 'indoor voice," Han muttered.

"Jacen's home on time. That's all I care about. I can always get groceries on the outskirts of the city tomorrow," Leia said, sighing as if she'd been holding her breath.

"Yeah, you'll have to find a market you haven't totally cleared out," Han said as his wife embraced him. "I dunno about you, sweetheart, but I'm ready for some shuteye."

Leia blew out the candles on her nighttable and settled happily against Han in slumber.

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"What's doing, bro?" Anakin asked Jacen with a mouthful of crackers.

"I'm starving," Jacen said, grabbing some of the crackers. "We got any Amalarian pears left?"

"I ate the last one."

"Bastard."

"You know it," Anakin said lazily. Jacen opened the chiller and then the freezer. "Ooh, iced custard!"

"There's ice custard? And I didn't know about it?" Anakin jumped off the sofa for that one.

"Yeah. Mom and Dad musta gone wild," Jacen said, grabbing the container. Not even attempting to get bowls, the two dug into it with their spoons until the container was completely empty.

The next mission was to ransack the chiller for whatever was there. They found a large chunk of cheese and a wrapper of Jaquira fruit and some kavasas.

"No Amalarian pears," Jacen grumbled.

"Dad's headed for the Outer Rim, he'll bring some back."

"He's gone for two weeks."

"So they finally decided to let you out."

"Yeah, I think they were hating on house arrest as much as I was."

"So what'd you do?"

"Met up with some guys from school. Hung out." Jacen strategically left out the part that consisted of them smoking Marcan herbs with Bix's hookah. It wasn't the rush that synth stim gave, but Jacen had enjoyed it; he felt mellow. And really hungry. They'd pigged out after smoking at a local diner, but Jacen was still famished.

"And you're okay?" Anakin asked.

Jacen rolled his eyes. "Can everyone just stop acting like they're my babysitter? I told you, I'm done with that stuff."

"Just asking." Anakin had a way of defusing a potentially charged situation. "Oh man, the Rodian's gonna get it!" His eyes had returned to the film they were watching.

"The Rodian always gets it," Jacen commented as he ate some of the breakfast cake they had located. "In the first five minutes. These holos are always the same."

"But that's what's so great about 'em!" Anakin said, gnawing on the end of the brick of cheese. The wrappers were now all that remained from the large scale consumption.

"Stupid dialogue, bad special effects, cheesy music?"

"You left out the hot science babes and the girls in bikinis," Anakin reproached.

"Well, okay, I get that. We got anymore food?"

"You get it. I wanna watch the Rodian get eaten."

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"There's no milk! Who drank up all the damn milk?!" Jaina shouted to no one in particular.

"Talk to your brothers," Leia told her. "I have to foodshop. Again. That's the third time this week."

"They're like swart hogs," Jaina grumbled. "They'd eat the furniture if nothing else was around."

"Hey, get moving," Han told Jaina. "Chewie's waiting for us at the _Falcon._ Where's Anakin?"

"Sleeping, the last time I checked," Leia told him.

Han went to the room that his two younger sons shared. "Anakin! Move your ass!" Han shouted as he knocked on the door.

"Least Jarik's not around to slow us up," Jaina muttered. "There's no flatbread left! There's like really nothing left!"

"We can get one of those sugar laden concoctions you call a kaf and some breakfast sandwiches," Han told her. "Now step on it."

"Gods, what's everyone so worked up about?" Anakin asked as he entered the kitchen, bleary eyed and yawning.

"'Cause we gotta help Daddy with the _Falcon,_" Jaina informed him. "Thanks a lot for eating everything in the house!"

"It wasn't just me! It was Jacen, too!"

"And speaking of Jacen, if I have to foodshop, he's going to help me," Leia said in a determined tone. She went to Jacen's door and rapped on it. "Jacen! Let's go. Unless you consider starvation to be a wonderful plan!"

A few minutes later, Jacen came out of his room, blinking his eyes groggily. "What?" he demanded, his voice indicating ill humor.

"We have to foodshop," Leia told him.

"And I'm your bagman, right?" Jacen growled.

"You have a choice," Leia informed him. "You can either help me shop or go hungry."

"All right, all right!" Jacen slammed the door to the kids' fresher.

Leia turned to Han. "Tell me again why we wanted children."

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Han was incredibly irritated by the time he, Chewie, Jaina and Anakin had finished servicing the _Falcon_. The kids had argued numerous times over how to best perform the repairs to where Chewie, who indulged the kids like crazy, roared at them. His band was playing that night and sound check was in an hour and a half and he still had to do the load in.

"You should really rethink how you did that wiring on the cooling nozzles, y'know," Anakin said to Jaina, his tone recalcitrant.

"I've been doing this longer than you have - " Jaina snapped back.

Han turned to them, his expression nearly furious. He raised a finger and glared at both.

Anakin and Jaina decided it was in their best interests to be quiet. For a moment or two, anyway.

"Is Mom going with you tonight?" Anakin asked.

"Why, you planning on having a sabacc tournament at our apartment?" Han asked him.

"Actually, yeah, the 53rd floor residents are getting pissed at us."

"Maybe you should try making less noise," Han suggested, his tone short. "Or try another floor."

"Maybe you shouldn't throw food around," Jaina said to Anakin sharply.

"What? That was one time we had a food fight!"

"Yeah, and it cost every parent 250 credits," Han reminded him.

"So? Can I have it at our house?"

"Talk to your mother, but I promise you this: If she wants to go to our gig tonight, there'll be no teenaged sabacc tournaments. And, if she wants to go with me, one of you has to babysit."

"Make Jacen do it," Jaina said. "I can't believe you let him go to Bix's. That guy is a loser."

"You think everyone's a loser," Anakin shot back.

"Bix is nothing but a stoner."

"All right, what part of 'SHUT UP' are you two having trouble with?"

Leia had asked Han earlier in the day why they'd wanted children. Right now, he had no idea.

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	3. Chapter 3

TRICKSTER GRENADE

Chapter 3

"We're having sabacc here," Anakin informed his older brother as soon as he was certain that Han and Leia had left for Han's gig at a local watering hole.

"Yeah, well, I gotta watch Jarik," Jacen said.

"You can play, y'know," Anakin told him.

"I'm not that big on games," Jacen admitted.

"So? Jarik can play, too."

"He knows how?"

"Dad's been teaching him."

"Well, then, yeah. I guess."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic, you'll kill me," Anakin said sarcastically. As were all of Leia and Han's other offspring, Anakin had learned sarcasm at his parents' knees.

"Wish I was going out. Felt great being away from here for a while," Jacen said.

"Yeah, well, Jaina says Bix is trouble."

"Jaina says a lot of things. Did Mom and Dad say you could have sabacc here?"

"Not in so many words."

"In other words, no," Jacen said irritably. "So don't go blaming me if you get your ass in trouble."

"We'll be out by midnight."

"Better hope no one comes before Jaina's gone." Jaina was currently in the shower.

"They won't."

"And better make sure they're gone, too, before she gets home." Jacen groaned. "Jaina's always out past midnight and she never gets in trouble with Mom or Dad."

"Yeah, well, that's our sister," Anakin said blandly.

"What about 'that's our sister'?" Jaina's voice penetrated the air.

"Nothing!" Jacen snapped back. Things had gotten better with his twin, but they had a long way to go. "Nothing," he said, his tone calmer. "You going with your girls?"

"Nope. Got a date." Jaina smiled, her cheeks lightly blushing. "Don't worry, Mom knows."

"Must be with Jag," Anakin teased her. "Meaning Dad doesn't know about it."

"Mom can take care of Dad," Jaina remarked tartly. "Besides, he's playing out with the band tonight."

"Yeah, you could show up at their gig," Jacen responded. "That'll really blow Dad's mind."

"I do that and I'll be a virgin the rest of my life," Jaina said to him, shaking her head.

"You're still a virgin?" Anakin teased.

"Shut up, asshole," Jaina said, retreating to her lair.

"She's so touchy," Anakin said.

"Jacen, can you play Seven Card Comet with me?" Jarik wheedled.

Jacen sighed. "Sure, I'll play ya, twerp." He smiled affectionately at his six year old brother. Jarik was sometimes annoying but Jacen was his champion.

At least I'm not under house arrest anymore, Jacen said to himself. For what it's worth.

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The sound check had gone well enough, even though there was some disagreement over certain mixes (there always was). Overall, it promised to be a great show. The guys were lively and had some new songs to introduce.

"You'll be great," Leia assured Han. "Ready to have dinner?"

"Starving," he said, embracing her. "I'm ready for a traladon steak, big time."

"No herb butter," Leia said to him. No milk based products were consumed prior to gigs for the vocalists; Lork was lead and Han and Grenny were backup vocals, and milk products caused too much mucus production. Alderaanian ale, on the other hand, was acceptable in small quantities; the guys never performed drunk. Han had seen drunken performers and he wasn't impressed. And it was one of Lork's rules.

"It's nice that one of us doesn't have to be home all time," Leia sighed. "Jacen seems to be past all of that now."

"He's definitely doing better," Han agreed. "Anakin's the one worrying me tonight. He wanted to bring everyone over for sabacc."

"You told him no."

"In case you missed it, our kids consider 'no' to be 'let's see how far we can push this thing.'"

"They're a lot like you," Leia said affectionately.

"Oh, and not at all like you!" Han said dryly.

"They're teenagers. I think it's their way to push the envelope."

"Jaina didn't mention any plans to me," Han noted.

"She's going out for a while tonight," Leia said.

"With who?"

"One of her friends."

"Which one?"

"She's got a date with Jag."

"I thought I said no dates with boys!" Han was profoundly irritated. He did not like the idea of his sixteen year old daughter involved with young men who would only break her heart. Jaina was sensible, but there was always the possibility of giving into lust, and that was all young men wanted. He knew because he'd been one. "You know this, Leia."

"Han, she's sixteen. Her interest in a boy is perfectly normal."

"Yeah, and in the days of the Empire, being shot at was perfectly normal."

"That's a poor comparison. Now c'mon. The kids will be fine. Concentrate on giving a great performance tonight. I'm in the audience, after all."

Han laughed at that. "Guess I'd better not screw up. Oh, and don't sit in front of the stage."

"Why not?"

"Singers spit. Even the backup ones can't avoid it sometimes."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now let's enjoy ourselves a little. Gods know it's been forever since I could see you play."

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Jacen and Jarik were involved in seven card comet when a bunch of kids Anakin's age began piling into the apartment. Anakin knew everyone in his level at school and it appeared that most of them had found their way there.

"I wanna play!" Jarik whined at Anakin.

"Sorry, doofus, you're too young," Anakin told him.

"I am not!" Jarik protested.

"Can he play?" one of the girls asked Anakin.

"My dad's been giving him lessons," Anakin said.

"Well, why not? He's adorable!" she said.

"C'mon, twerp, you can play," Anakin relented, although he was less than clearly thrilled with the idea.

"Jacen, aren't you playing?" another of Anakin's friends asked.

"I'm not that good."

"So? Most of us aren't," he said. "Anakin keeps taking us to the cleaners. But we're watching him."

Just the, Jacen's comm went off. It was Bix.

"Hey dude," Jacen said. "Whassup?"

"Not much. Sounds like party time by your place."

"Sabacc. My middle brother's into it."

"Hey, that sounds great! Whaddya say we swing by your place, play a few cards, smoke a little chronic?"

Jacen groaned. Anakin wasn't supposed to be having this gig, and he was supposed to be watching Jarik. "Sure," he relented. "But bring blunts. No water pipes."

"Oh yeah, right, like I'm gonna be stupid enough to carry a hookah around town with me. Okay if Keck and Marsu tag along?"

"Sure. We already got too many people here. Not like a few more's gonna make a difference."

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The Screaming Green Nebula kicked off with a set that was loud and energetic. They introduced some new orginals that Han and Lork had written. The lyrics were quirky and entertaining in many of their songs. They did some covers as well, and gave them a new kick. Leia was sitting with the drummer's wife.

"Good you could come out," Karsha said to Leia. "I can't believe middle aged guys can rock out like this. I get tired thinking about it."

"It's been forever since I've seen them live," Leia said. "Since they don't rehearse in the apartment, I don't even hear them rehearse. The closest I get is hearing Han composing once in a while."

"How're your kids?" Karsha had two kids who were adults.

"We're going to be grandparents in three months," she said happily.

"Congratulations!" Leia said sincerely.

"It wasn't expected, but I've found myself looking forward to it," Karsha admitted. "I guess life's like that. I'm just glad my second one's trying to grow up, finally."

"I know what you mean," Leia said.

"How are yours? I know there were some issues with Jacen."

"He's much better now. I haven't been out since we've basically had him in solitary confinement for the last six months."

"Wow. Glad he's okay."

"He's brought his grades up. We let him out for the first time last night."

"And tonight?"

"Watching Jarik."

"Jarik's such a charmer. He reminds me totally of Han."

"That's because he's his father's son," Leia laughed. "His first name is Han, but to avoid confusion, we call him by his middle name. There's a story behind the name."

"Oh?"

"As you know, Han's essentially an orphan. A long time before we met, he met another orphan, younger than he was, who claimed he was related to Han. Han knew he wasn't, but humored the boy and taught him to pilot and fight. Sadly, the young man died in a battle. He had courage and spirit, Han said, and he wanted to honor him. And it fit perfectly with our unexpected number four."

"So you got a surprise, too."

"We did. I have the most wonderful time with him. He's, well, he's Han."

The band returned after a short break to start their second set.

Leia felt vaguely uneasy, but she'd promised herself a night out, enjoying the music, and not worrying about the kids. She slipped her comm back into her handbag and smiled at her husband as he began the opening chords.

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Jaina was having a wonderful time with Jag. They were attending a rave up, which consisted of live music and alcohol in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the Capital City. The crowded condition of the place seemed to make it impossible to dance, but the crowd seemed to have adapted.

"The bands are great tonight!" Jaina shouted over the din as she danced with Jag.

"It's pretty good. I'm thirsty. Want an ale?"

"Sure, why not?" She had no intentions of coming home drunk. A small buzz, on the other hand, would work nicely. The rave up didn't check IDs.

Jag wended his way through the crowd towards one of the nine bars that the warehouse held. They were technically folding tables that held coolers, but they served their purpose. No top shelf brands, but it wasn't that kind of place.

Jag returned with the ales and handed one to Jaina. "Can you imagine my dad playing here?" she giggled.

"He'd only do it to shoot me," Jag said.

"Well, yeah, there's that. 'Sides, my dad only occasionally plays dives. Like one time he took the band to Chalmun's."

"The spaceport cantina on Tatooine?"

"Galaxy's worst kept secret. We gotta get there someday. Apparently my dad's got a table dedicated to him."

"How'd he swing that?"

"Best smuggler in the galaxy, back in the day. Oh, yeah, and he helped overthrow the Empire." Jag's father had been a fighter pilot in the Galactic Civil War as well, but he'd restricted his illegal activities to fighting for the Rebel Alliance.

"Yeah, Han Solo's pretty legendary. And he hates my guts."

"Well, there is that."

"Wanna get outta here in a bit? Go somewhere a little quieter?"

"Uh...sure!"


	4. Chapter 4

TRICKSTER GRENADE

Chapter 4

Jaina and Jag had gone off to Mon Mothma Memorial Park, one of the loveliest on the outskirts of the Capital City. It had a clear view of the mountains in the distance and while the lights from the city dimmed the stars a bit, but it was still an incredible view.

Jag had purchased a bottle of white wine, which he opened. He'd produced two paper cups.

"Sorry, I can only drink with the good china," Jag said as he poured one for Jaina.

"I can tell." Jaina was sipping slowly; she didn't want to appear drunk when she got home.

"What time do you have to be back?" Jag asked her.

"Well, my mom said midnight. But she's out at my dad's gig, and they never get home before 0130."

"So we've got a little time."

"Yes, we do."

Jag set his cup down and gathered Jaina in his arms, kissing her neck. Jaina responded to him, and soon Jag had begun to lower her into the grass.

"You're okay with this?" Jag asked her.

"Oh, much better than okay."

"You wanna do this?"

"I just might."

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"C'mon, guys, leave the ale alone! My dad's gonna kill me!" Anakin called out over the din in the apartment. Word had escaped of the sabacc party going on at the Solos and crashers now exceeded sabacc players.

Someone had found the aerosolized whipping cream and was covering another person in it. There were balloons being filled with water and tossed all over. Anakin's efforts to stop the melee were ignored.

Jacen, in the meantime, was on the balcony with Bix and company, smoking blunts.

"Y'know, this is fucking good chronic," Jacen said. "I could get used to this stuff."

"As long as you can pay for it, you're golden," Bix told him.

"Y'know, after this blunt, we'd better call it a night - oh no!" Several party crashers came out on the balcony, some of them soaking wet.

"Hey, you gonna share that?" One of the boys asked Bix.

"No fucking way," Bix said. "We're done here."

Jacen opened the door. "GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" he shouted to everyone. "I'm gonna get CoruSec on your asses if you don't!"

"Oh, like you really scare us!" Two girls giggled.

"My parents are gonna be home soon!" Anakin wailed. "Please, leave!"

One didn't need Force sense to realize that this was not going to end well.

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"Join us for a drink?" Lork asked Han and Leia as they finished the load out.

"I'm kinda done for, but thanks," Han said. "Unless Leia's up for it."

"I'd really like to get home," Leia said.

"All right, Han my man. Good gig."

"Yeah, it was. See you at rehearsal."

The two headed out in the speeder, Han's gear overflowing.

Leia was now extremely uneasy, but told herself it'd been so long since she'd been out with Han that of course she was going to be nervous. She'd been able to put it away during the show and enjoy herself, but now, heading for home, she sensed she was not going to be happy upon arrival.

"You okay?" Han asked her.

"I'm fine. It was a great show. And now I'm ready for bed."

"That makes two of us."

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Han and Leia were in for the shock of their lives when they saw eight Drednoughts and four members of CoruSec standing in the hallway outside of their apartment.

"Oh no," Leia moaned.

"What in the nine hells is going on?" Han demanded.

"We had some complaints about noise here. Apparently they were having a party and it got completely out of hand."

"Party? What party?!" Leia demanded.

"I just chased fifty kids outta here," one of the Drednoughts told them. "Maybe more."

"Please tell me you're kidding," Leia begged, shutting her eyes, afraid to inspect the damage when she entered.

Han came to the doorway, took one look, and shouted "JACEN! ANAKIN! JAINA!"

The two older boys were desperately involved in attempting to clean up the disaster that had been left by the evening's revelers.

"What in the nine hells?!" Leia shouted. "What just went on here?"

"Where's Jaina?" Han demanded angrily.

The door opened behind them. "I'm here," Jaina said, the glow of being with the boy of her dreams quickly leaving.

"Look, we were just gonna play some sabacc - " Anakin started in.

"I seem to recall saying that there would be no sabacc!" Han shouted at his middle son. "And fifty kids? What the hell were you thinking?!"

"They got crashed - " Jacen began to explain.

"I don't care what they got! And is that Marcan herb I smell?" He looked sharply at his first son, whose eyes were red and manner languid.

"I didn't do that!" Anakin protested. "He and his stoner buddies did!"

"Jacen, you'd think after six months of incarceration you'd get a hint!" Leia snapped at him.

"I didn't smoke!" Jacen protested.

"The hell you didn't," Anakin shot back. "You and Bix were doing blunts out there!"

Leia turned to her daughter. "You said you'd be home by midnight. Instead, you stroll in here at 0149 and act like it's perfectly okay!"

"And why's your shirt inside out?!" Han shouted at her. Jaina blushed crimson.

"Where did all the water come from?" Leia said, examining the wet furniture, rugs and bare floors. "And where's Jarik?"

"I think he went to bed," Jacen said.

"You think?" Han hissed at him.

Leia had already checked the boys' rooms, and found Jarik asleep atop Jacen's bed, fully clothed. Leia groaned. "Jacen, you were responsible for him, and you managed to completely screw it up."

"He was playing cards!" Jacen snapped back.

Both parents stared severely at their three older children.

"I hope you'll all be enjoying each other's company," Han hissed at them. "Because for the next month, you're gonna be the only people you'll see."

"For a month?! Why? It's not my fault the game got crashed!" Anakin protested.

Han stuck his finger at Anakin. "I can always make it two months."

"Ani, shut up already," Jaina said glumly.

"Now, your father and I are going to bed," Leah said coldly. "The three of you, on the other hand, are going to clean this apartment and when I wake up, it had better be immaculate!"

The two stormed off to their bedroom. The original plan had been for some amourous activity but the mood had been, well, spoiled.

"What are we doing wrong?" Leah moaned, her face covered by her hands.

"I have no idea," Han said, sitting dejectedly next to her. "Apparently we have no control at all."

"I wanted them to have the freedoms I never had, but I wanted them to respect our limits as well," Leia responded. "They don't understand that our goal is to raise them to be responsible adults, and so far, we're failing miserably."

"I dunno. I think there's always gonna be testing the limits. Mostly of my patience," Han quipped. "But I didn't think there was gonna be outright giving us the finger. And Jaina? You and I both know damn well what happened."

"Han, I've taught her about contraception and hygiene. I don't know what else I can do."

"I thought she had a better head on her shoulders than that."

"She's sixteen and in love."

"Yeah, well, she better get over it quick. And Jacen's a complete moron. We have him under house arrest for six months, first weekend he's got some freedom and he completely screws it up."

"And Anakin was told NOT to bring the sabacc game to our apartment. We've got a rec area where they'd be free to play and carry on, but no, he's got to bring it here."

"He had to call security on his own party," Leia said. "One of the guards told me."

"Well, he should've listened in the first place. Gods, Leia, I keep asking myself, what're we doing wrong?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I have no idea."

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"You two are fucking idiots," Jaina complained, glaring at her brothers. "You hadda go and spoil it for me."

"Oh, and you didn't come in late, did you?" Jacen snarled at her. "With your shirt on inside out. You do it with Jag?" The last question was more like a taunt.

"Shut up," she snapped at him. "At least I'm not some lowlife stoner!"

"All I wanted to do was play sabacc," Anakin grumbled. "And it was all cool till the idiots crashed the place."

"That's crap," Jacen shot back. "You guys were drinking up all the ales. Dad's gonna have another freakout when he finds out."

"Yeah, well, freaking out's our parents' middle names lately," Jaina said. "I'm done cleaning up this mess. I didn't make it and I'm not doing anymore. Good night!" She flounced off angrily.

"I'm surprised Dad grounded her, too," Anakin said, mopping up the now liquid mess that had been whipping cream. There were other food substances about as well. "Usually she's Daddy's little princess and gets away with everything. It's not fair."

"When did Mom and Dad get to be so horrible?" Jacen complained. "They really suck. All they care about is keeping us 'safe.'" He did the air quotations. "How're we supposed to have any fun?"

"They don't care if we have fun," Anakin complained. "It's not like we're out stealing from people, which is what Dad did when he was a teenager."

"Yeah, well, at least he had no parents bugging him."

"It'd be nice, wouldn't it?"


	5. Chapter 5

TRICKSTER GRENADE

Chapter 5

It was going to be a very long month. During the week, it wasn't quite so terrible; Jaina was at Praxium after school, which kept her and Jacen from fighting for at least three hours of the day. Anakin, the most social of the four kids, was in mourning for his friends, and Han and Leia restricted comm and datapad chat time severely. Only Jarik was happy about it; he had his own three ring circus on call. The three older kids vied for his attention and he was loving it.

When homework was done, the kids would sit down and play sabacc or seven card comet, making it clear that these games were No Parents Allowed. The battle lines had been sharply drawn. At meals, there was virtually no talking. Attempts to ask their children about their day, their schoolwork, anything, really, were exercises in futility. Eventually, Han and Leia gave up, and talked to one another. Even Jarik, who literally never stopped talking, aligned himself with his siblings. Despite being innocent and free from all punishment, Jarik made sure Han and Leia knew which side he was on.

When the four weren't in cahoots, they spent their time arguing and, as befit Skywalker-Solo children, doing so loudly.

It had been a week into the grounding and it was the weekend. It hadn't been as horrible as Leia and Han had imagined.

It had been worse.

"How are we gonna get through three more weeks of this?" Leia moaned, flopped out on the bed.

"Drink heavily," Han quipped. "It's what I do."

"I'm seriously considering it. Starting at breakfast."

"It's always 1700 somewhere in the galaxy."

"Seriously, Han, this is horrible."

"You're proposing we let them go unpunished?" Han's tone was sharper than he'd intended.

"I'm not saying that at all!" Leia snapped at him.

"What do you think we should do, then?" Han's anger was rising.

"I don't know!" Leia shouted back. "If I had some answers, don't you think I'd have said something?!"

Han was still angry, but he'd gone quiet.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm not trying to take this out on you."

"I know," Leia said wearily. "Even Jarik's drawn his line in the sand."

"Maybe we should get away next weekend, let Chewie deal with 'em," Han suggested.

"Chewie's a pushover for 'em."

"Yeah, there is that." Han sighed. "Luke and Mara?"

"You really want to inflict them on Luke and Mara?" Leia asked.

"They know how to clamp down," Han offered.

"They're also back on Yavin."

"They coming back here anytime soon?"

"I think we're being punished as much as they are," Leia complained. "I don't know what to do, really."

"Call your brother."

"You think Mara and Luke deserve this?"

"Who cares? They know how to be strict, and they're not us," Han said.

Leia sighed. "I'll comm him. But not tonight. I just want to go to sleep and when I wake up, the month's over."

Han just groaned.

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The next week was, if possible, even longer than the first.

By week three, everyone was climbing the walls, parents and kids both.

"I've gotta get outta here. Jag's on leave this weekend. I've gotta see him!" Jaina said to her twin, keeping her voice uncharacteristically low.

"Yeah, well, good luck with that one," Jacen said, and actually demonstrated some sympathy for his twin. "I do everything they want for six months, and we do one little thing and now we're grounded for ten more days! It's mostly Anakin's fault, anyway. If he'd done like he was told, none of this woulda happened."

"We've gotta get out of here."

"I wish."

"Jag says he really has to talk to me." What Jaina didn't say was, I've got a really bad feeling about this. Jacen felt it as well, but didn't say anything, either.

"Yeah, well, you try seeing nobody for six months and not go crazy."

"Quit it, Jacen. You screwed up on that one."

"I know, I know. Don't remind me."

"Can you cover for me?" Jaina asked.

"Whaddya mean?" Jacen demanded.

"I just need a few hours. I've gotta see him."

There's someone I gotta see, too, Jacen said to himself. And it's not Bix. Over the month, his cravings for synth stim began to re-emerge. He needed to get down to the lower level where he'd purchased it last. He needed to get down to the dealership where the Huraloks sold 'stim. It was scary and creepy down there, but he wasn't about to stick around. Get in, pay up, get out.

"You know Mom and Dad are gonna hear the security system. It's like they know what we're doing even when they're crashed out."

"I can try to override it," Jaina said.

"I just gotta get out and get some air," Jacen said to Jaina. She's way too preoccupied with Jag to care what I'm up to, he felt from her.

"Okay, then. Let's do it," Jaina says.

Jacen had a pocketful credits. , and once Jaina saw Jag, and she promptly forgot about his twin. He quickly made his way to the lifts. It was the weekend, and sentients of all kinds filled the streets, thus earning its title of the World That Never Sleeps.

Being out here made him realize how much he missed Tenel Ka. He had talked to her a few days ago. Only after homework was complete did Leia and Han allow use of their comms and only for two hours. They were put in the safe at night, but Anakin figured out the combination. All that was needed was for Han and Leia to head for bed.

The express lifts to the Lower Levels made Jacen's ears pop, as was common to many sentients. The crowd was mixed; some desiring to go slumming, others who lived it by default, all different sentients. The lifts were almost as packed as they were during the time when most individuals got done with work.

Jacen was uneasy and anxious but eager to get some relief. His parents drank to relax, he reasoned. Why shouldn't I do what I like? He'd had one night out. Just because Anakin and Jaina had messed up...

He was finally in the Lower City. The Lower City was not for the faint of heart. And what Jacen was about to do wasn't either...

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Jaina raced into Jag's arms, holding on like she would never let go.

"I missed you so much," she said, kissing him hard.

Jag's manner was surprisingly cool. He seemed distant.

"I got my orders," he said quietly.

"Where?"

"I'm stationed to Tatooine."

"For how long?"

"It's a year, Jaina." He stared into her amber eyes. "It's a year."

"Well, we can text comm and visit each other, can't we?" Jaina had a feeling about where he was going and she didn't like it. She was determined to fight.

"Jaina. I think we should break it off for now," Jag said bluntly.

"We should WHAT?!" Jaina had forgotten about keeping her voice low.

"I'm gonna be really busy, Jay. When you join the Navy, you'll know."

"You're gonna be too busy to just, well, even talk to me?" She was fighting back tears.

"I'm part of a garrison."

"Oh."

"Jay, I think you're a great girl. Maybe someday we can get it together. But not now."

She looked up at him. "Fine," she hissed between her tears. "Now get the fuck outta here and don't ever talk to me again!"

"It doesn't - "

"You just told me it did. Get lost. And fuck you, you fucking fuck."

"Jaina, please, let's talk about this."

"Oh, NOW you want to talk. You had your chance. Go!"

Jag walked away.

Jaina sat for a long time. She hoped Jacen hadn't gone far. If she ever needed her twin, now was the time.

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It was late, but the same nasty Huralok that Jacen had encountered months before was there, and he was as unpleasant as he ever was.

"You again. Your kind always comes back," the creature sneered.

Jacen tossed his credits on the table and ordered the Huralok to get him his synth stim and he'd get out of the way.

"You been clean?" the Huralok asked.

"Yeah."

The Huralok laugh. "This stuff's a trickster grenade. You say only this once, you think you're safe, and then, it explodes on you. Don't worry, I count on twerps like you to keep my business going." The Huralok's laugh was anything but friendly.

The transaction completed, Jacen rushed out into the streets. He needed to find a secluded spot in order to do a quick snort. He'd left his smoking tube at home.

He finally located a spot in the alley behind the Glow Spider, opened the bag, and began rubbing a piece of the substance into powder to be snorted. He shuddered in anticipation of the rush that was headed his way...

Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm. Jacen looked up, and saw that it was CoruSec.

"Empty your pockets," the officer demanded.

"I don't have anything!" Jacen protested angrily. He'd barely had the chance to snort it up.

"You came out of the Huraloks," the officer's partner said.

Dejected, Jason handed them the glassine package that held his precious quarry.

"ID, please," the first officer instructed.

"Uh...I don't have it with me."

The other officer brought out a pair of binders.

"Your name?"

"Jacen Solo."

"Jacen Solo, you're under arrest for the possession of an illegal substance..."


End file.
